Hagler was a heavy favorite. This latest eye problem further fueled the flames of those who opposed Leonard's comeback. Correa was instructed not to spare the whip. I think he needs a psychiatrist more than he needs anything else." Afterward, Leonard announced, "I'm finishedI've fought my last fight. When Leonard boxed in the Olympics, he had a picture of Wilkinson taped to his sock. Boxing in Serenity He continued to score well in the fourth and opened a cut above Leonard's right eye. Where did Sugar Ray Leonard and Roberto Duran have their first fight? On March 28, 1981, Leonard defended his title against Larry Bonds, the WBC sixth-ranked contender, at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse, New York. When they fought again a . This would be Leonard's first professional fight without Angelo Dundee. Sugar Ray Leonard and Tommy Hearns during their first fight, on September 16, 1981 in Las Vegas. . In rounds, he had it three for Durn, two for Leonard, and ten even. "To make a man quit, to make Roberto Durn quit, was better than knocking him out."[35]. The fight was named "Fight of the Year" and "Upset of the Year" by The Ring. In 2002, Leonard was voted by The Ring as the ninth greatest fighter of the last 80 years. "I wasn't aware I was in a championship early because I hit him so easy", Leonard said. Doctors said they believed he would be able to resume his boxing career before the end of the year. The odds started at 41, then settled at 31. Sugar Ray Leonard, the world welterweight champion, underwent two hours of surgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore yesterday to repair a partially detached retina in his left eye.. [80], Leonard has also worked as an actor. They fought for Lalonde's WBC Light Heavyweight Championship and the newly created WBC Super Middleweight Championship, which meant that Lalonde had to make 168lbs. He rose but was soon down again, and the fight was stopped. and played to the screaming crowd. [8] The Ring magazine named him Fighter of the Year in 1979 and 1981, while the Boxing Writers Association of America named him Fighter of the Year in 1976, 1979, and 1981. [17] Leonard won his first four Olympic bouts by 50 decisions. She also said he was an occasional cocaine user. [38], "I made him quit", Leonard said. Judge Jos Guerra scored the fight 118110 for Leonard. The nickname "Sugar" came from Gainford, who had described the young boxer as "sweet as sugar"; reporters soon began using the moniker. The referee stopped the fight with Bonds taking punishment in a corner.[39]. In his prime, he was unstoppable. But New York proved rough in other ways. The scores were 120104, 119103, and 116110. Durn's manager, Carlos Eleta, said, "Durn didn't quit because of stomach cramps. However, less than a week after the fight, Leonard said he planned to fight again. [14]:78, In 1973, Leonard won the National Golden Gloves Lightweight Championship, but lost to Randy Shields in the lightweight final of the National AAU Tournament. 2 of his losses came after his first retirement. His mother said: "He never did talk too much. "I felt weaker and weaker in my body and arms." [26] Which boxers did sugar ray Leonard lose to? The bout took place on June 20, 1980 at the Olympic Stadium in Montreal, Canada. His most famous commercial was a 7 Up ad he did with his son, Ray Jr., Roberto Durn and Durn's son Roberto Jr. in the early 1980s. . Tyson had a 71 reach, even shorter than Frazier's. Many were critical of the fact that Lalonde's light heavyweight title was on the line when the weight limit of the fight with Leonard was at 168 pounds, and critical of Leonard for stipulating that his opponenta natural 175-poundershould weigh less than his usual fighting weight, which could possibly weaken him. I didn't want anyone to tell me my career had to end." I don't believe it. His then wife . Answer (1 of 8): Hearns and Leonard fought twice. He staggered Bonds with a right in the fourth round and dropped him with a follow-up combination. Leonard kept it up, continuing to move, stop, and mug. He never liked being called "The Hit Man," and after going nearly 14 rounds with nemesis Sugar Ray Leonard under the bright lights at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas, Tommy . Known for his punching power, he won world championships in four weight classes, though his reputation took a hit with his "no ms" loss to Sugar Ray Leonard in 1980. Sugar Ray Robinson died just about broke, he suffered 19 career defeats and he didn't beat as many world champions in consecutive fights (there were of course far less world champions back in . In the closing seconds of the eighth round, Durn turned his back to Leonard and quit, saying to referee Octavio Meyran, "No Ms" (English: "No more"). For Leonard's fight with Hagler, Dundee worked without a contract and received $175,000, which was less than 2% of Leonard's purse. Leonard won the National Golden Gloves and National AAU Light Welterweight Championships in 1974. Bonds got up and continued to move, with Leonard in pursuit. [12] The family moved to Washington, D.C., when he was three, and they settled permanently in Palmer Park, Maryland when he was ten. Durn forced the issue and took the fight to Leonard, cutting off the ring and denying Leonard space to fight his fight. "I wanted that arena. "And Voom! Tyson lost his first fight to Holyfield in 1996. Dave Jacobs, a former boxer, and Janks Morton volunteered as boxing coaches. But at that point in the fight, Hagler appeared to be slightly more ring-general and clearly more aggressive. [14]:75, In his fourteenth professional fight, Leonard fought his first world-ranked opponent, Floyd Mayweather, who was ranked seventeenth. Duran rode out his trilogy with Sugar Ray Leonard with little fire. Late in the third, Leonard dropped Benitez on the seat of his pants with a stiff left jab. Come under with a punch.". As a boy growing up in Detroit, Sugar Ray Robinson was neighbors with heavyweight champion Joe Louis. Sugar Ray Leonard vs. Thomas Hearns II, billed as " The War ", was a professional boxing match contested on June 12, 1989 for the WBC and WBO super middleweight titles. Leonard also won a light welterweight gold medal at the 1976 Summer Olympics. Before the fight, he was given a shot of novocaine. I used when I felt bad, I used when I missed competing at that level", he said. Leonard fought Wilfred Bentez for the WBC Welterweight Championship on November 30, 1979, at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada. Leonard blamed his poor performance against Norris on lack of motivation, a rib injury, moving down in weight, and divorce, which was being litigated while he was in training. Promoted as "The Showdown", Leonard fought Thomas Hearns on September 16, 1981, at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas to unify the World Welterweight Championship in a scheduled fifteen-rounder. Leonard was ahead on all three scorecards at the time of the stoppage. Hearns managed to rise, but was dropped by a flurry of hard punches near the end of the round. Kalule and his handlers had expected Leonard to use lateral movement against him, but Leonard chose to fight inside instead. For the first bout of his career in 1936, he borrowed the Amateur Athletic Union card of another boxer, whose name was Ray Robinson, to enter the ring. Duran and Leonard would go on to fight two more times, once in November 1980 and again . Paternity Suit". Morton was replaced as co-trainer by Pepe Correa, who had worked with Leonard for most of the previous fifteen years.[63]. Thomas Hearns) 16 September 1981 - 9 November 1982 . Robinson's ability to cross weight classes caused boxing fans and writers to dub him "pound for pound, the best," a sentiment that has not faded over the years. He had a career record of 79-6-3 and was a showman in the ring, chanting 'It . Hearns, with too much faith in his powerful right hand, lost to Sugar Ray Leonard in their first match. By the end of round five, Leonard had a growing swelling under his left eye, and Hearns had built a considerable lead on the scorecards. "It made his eyes water", Leonard said. Best Known For: Considered one of the greatest boxers of all time, Sugar Ray Robinson held the world welterweight title from 1946 to 1951, and by 1958, he had become the first boxer to win a divisional world championship five times. Going into the final round, Leonard led by scores of 137130, 137133, and 136134. He was among the very best of his generation and put on some incredible performances in his fights. After the Los Angeles Times broke the story, Leonard held a press conference and publicly acknowledged that the accusations were true. The fight was a classic match between a slugger in Marvin Hagler, left, and a boxer in Sugar Ray Leonard. Wherever he went, he brought a large entourage of trainers, women and family members. Or why Roberto Durn was acting out of prudence, not cowardice, when he quit in his second fight against Leonard. Terry Norris battered Leonard all around the ring in Madison Square Garden on his way to a one-sided decision that convinced Leonard his day in the sun had ended. Just five months after one of the greatest fights in modern boxing history, Sugar Ray Leonard and Roberto Duran met in a rematch that somehow managed to transcend the original. Trainer then made Leonard the sole stockholder in Sugar Ray Leonard, Inc. Angelo Dundee, Muhammad Ali's trainer, was brought in to be Leonard's trainer and manager. Leonard's attorney, Mike Trainer, said, "There never has been a linkage between his broadcasting and his fighting. Leonard would continue to pursue his Olympic dream while she and the baby, Ray Charles Leonard Jr., lived with her parents. [15], Sarge Johnson, assistant coach of the US Olympic Boxing Team, said to Dave Jacobs, "That kid you got is sweet as sugar". Robert Durn's hair flies as Sugar Ray Leonard throws a punch in the early rounds of their welterwight fight on 25 November 1980. Leonard won the fight in 12 rounds on a split decision. Julio Cesar Chavez and Sugar Ray Leonard. [74], Leonard said he planned to have a series of tuneup fights before fighting a champion. He lost it to Roberto Durn by a close decision in June 1980 and regained it five months later in the infamous No Ms Fight, in which Duran quit in the eighth round. The rules state that a boxer must be retired for five years before being eligible for induction. In 1991 the brilliant career of Sugar Ray Leonard appeared to have finally come to an end. . Ray Charles Leonard, known as the boxing champion "Sugar Ray" Leonard (after the champion boxer Sugar Ray Robinson), was born on May 17, 1956 in Wilmington, North Carolina to Getha Leonard and Cicero Leonard, who boxed in the Navy. At the age of 20 (1977), Leonard won his first professional fight, only setting the stage for a collection of the most memorable fights in all of boxing history. He would also choose Leonard's opponents. The fight was one of the many battles between the top fighters of the era (Duran, Leonard, Hearns, Hagler). [11], Leonard, the fifth of seven children of Cicero and Getha Leonard, was born in Wilmington, North Carolina. Leonard came back to stop Howard in the ninth round, but the stoppage was disputed, with some feeling that the referee stopped the fight prematurely. It supports accessible housing, healthcare services, and educational services and job training. Judge Stuart Kirshenbaum had Lalonde ahead 7675. [88] In 1984, they had another son, Jarrell. His older brother, Roger, started boxing first. [69], On February 9, 1991, Leonard went down to 154lbs and fought WBC Light Middleweight Champion Terry Norris at Madison Square Garden. "I did the best I could", Leonard said. . Robi is the daughter of Paul Robi, one of the original Platters, and she is the ex-wife of Lynn Swann. [14]:63, When Leonard decided to turn professional, Janks Morton introduced him to Mike Trainer, a friend of his who was an attorney. Robinson wouldn't go by his birth name for the rest of his career. On March 10, 1986, Marvin Hagler knocked out John Mugabi in eleven rounds to retain the Undisputed World Middleweight Championship for the twelfth time and advance his record to 6222. 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